Peacemaker
by Black Convoy
Summary: Hotaru Tomoe is a college student who plans to become a worldwide peace advocate. Thus she shuns the works of the private organization Celestial Being. However, a twist of fate puts her in direct contact with one of the four Gundam Meisters.Gundam00 Xover
1. The Beginning of Captivity

Hello everybody. I am proud to introduce the first Gundam 00, the most badass Gundam series to date, crossover story in this category. I don't know how many of you have seen any episodes of Gundam 00, so I'll try to keep things as close to actual storyline as I can. I'd really appreciate it if you'd give your opinion of the first chapter. So with everything said and done, enjoy and please review.

I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam 00

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Chapter 1 

The Beginning of Captivity

Tokyo University:

"And thus the three global elevators were created to provide humans with a reusable source of energy," stated the professor. "As a result of the global elevators, three new world superpowers were formed. These three superpowers are the Human Reform League, the Advanced European Union, and the World Economic Union of which Japan is a part of. Thanks to these new bonds between many countries, the chances of war have significantly dropped. However, this does not apply to the countries of Middle-East Asia."

Hotaru Tomoe sat in her at the edge of her uncomfortable seat, listening to her Sociology professor lecture about the discourse in the Middle East. The topic got her interest, but the overall concept of war was the last thing she wanted to hear about. She loathed violence and only studied it in order to find a way to stop it. However, she was soon lost in her own thought. "Miss Tomoe, would you mind explaining to the class what the main issue between the factions of Azadistan?" The question caught the young college student off guard and completely embarrassed her. "Miss Tomoe, I understand that girls your age have problems of day dreaming about boys, but I would appreciate it if you would wait until you're out of my classroom." Hotaru blushed out of shame and was further motivated to avoid any further embarrassing incidents.

When class was dismissed, Hotaru decided to stay for a few minutes in order to make amends with her professor. In truth, her real motivation was to regain her honor and prevent her professor from making further mistakes of comparing her to "ordinary" sixteen year old girls. She was a modest individual, but she prided herself as a child genius that was destined to be a world peace consultant. " Professor Aizen, I'm sorry for not dazing off in class, but I was not thinking about boys."

"Then what were you thinking about, if it isn't anything too personal," asked the tall brunette as he placed a stack of papers in a folder.

"It's nothing personal at all. It's just that was thinking about, well…. Um… How can I phrase this… I want to know your opinion of that new organization, Celestial Being?" Professor Sosuke Aizen stopped what he was doing and looked at his student. Hotaru took full account of his facial expression and started to think if she'd brought up a topic that he may be touchy on.

"I think they are a group of people that have personally suffered the pains of violence and want to stop incidents like that from ever happening again. Their intentions may be good, but I definitely do not approve of their methods. Ultimately, I believe all they will do is cause pain and suffering for a goal that is impossible to reach." When the sociology professor finished packing his materials, he bid his student farewell and walked away.

Later that night, Hotaru decided to take a walk around the city and reflect on the words of her teacher. Ever since she received the news about how the gundams interfered in Taribia and attacked the weaker Taribian army instead of the Union army. In her heart, she was angry with the gundams for starting the fighting, but she also knew that Taribia had it coming ever since their declaration of war. It surprised her that Celestial Being was following through with its promise to intervene in any armed conflict and stop it despite reasons and they followed it to the letter. "What a sad group of individuals, she muttered to herself in a sympathizing voice.

Considering that the walk was not helping her clear her mind, Hotaru decide to go to the port and wash her troubles away with the tide. At first, everything was going the way it usually did with barely any activity until she noticed a small object glimmer in the distance. At first she thought it was a ship coming into dock, but that thought vanished along with the object. This perked Hotaru's curiosity so she pulled out her camera from her purse and used it to get a better view of the area. She was able to determine from the unusual behavior of the water that the object was camouflaging itself. However, she was in shock when a large and unexpected wave hit the invisible object and allowed her to see its true form. "It can't be," she tried to convince herself, but failed miserably. "It's a…a gundam!" At that moment, every instinct she had told her to run, but her curiosity was biting at her. In the end, she decided in a compromise and found a place she could observe and hide at the same time.

After several minutes of inactivity, Hotaru noticed a person pulling himself out of the water. She gasped at the appearance of the man, and immediately placed her hands over her mouth, preparing for the worst. However, the person didn't notice and continued to dry himself off. He was a boy about the same age as Hotaru with dark skin and jet black hair. Judging by his skin tone, Hotaru determined that he was from the Middle East, but the particular country evaded her. She watched as he wrapped a red scarf around his neck, but was too late to notice that he'd been watching her the entire time. Afraid for her life, Hotaru tried to run, except she was paralyzed with fear after a bullet landed barely millimeters away from her foot. In a second, she found herself on the ground with he right arm twisted behind her back. "Struggle and you die," said the boy coldly as he aimed his pistol strait for her head. "Who are you and how much did you see?"

"Tomoe Hotaru, I'm a college student at Tokyo University. May I ask who you are, Mr. gundam pilot?" In that instant, Hotaru wanted to slap herself for asking that, but she wouldn't dare move. In that one question, she told him that she knew his identity and posed as a threat to his secrecy.

"Setsuna F. Seiei," the boy answered much to Hotaru's surprise. What surprised her even more than that is when he got off her back and let go of her arm. Setsuna allowed her to get up and pamper her arm. "Your jeans, take them off."

Hotaru's head quickly snapped towards Setsuna and her mouth dropped open. "What?! What are going to do to me, you pervert," she asked in a frightened voice as she tried to inch away from her captive.

"I'll say it again, take them off. Then place this around your thigh," the boy instructed as he handed her a metallic band. "Don't worry, I'll give you your privacy," said Setsuna as he turned his back to Hotaru. "But if you attempt to run, I'll shoot you immediately."

Hotaru was somewhat relieved that Setsuna was not some pervert attempting to rape her, but she still wasn't comfortable with his threat to shoot her. She decided to comply with his demands and placed the metallic object around her leg. "Ok, it's done, but if you don't mind answering me, what is it?"

"It's a bomb," he said calmly. "Just incase you have any plans to escape or if you say anything about what you just saw. Consider it insurance." Hotaru could not comprehend how Setsuna was able to handle something this dangerous and maintain such a calm demeanor. "Until I get orders from my superiors, you will have to stay by my side 24/7. Is that comprehendible to you?"

"Yeah, I get it," Hotaru responded solemnly. "From now on, I'm a prisoner of Celestial Being."


	2. Setsuna

Hello. Before I start explaining some parts of the Gundam 00 story, I'd like to thank Harpygirl91 from the bottom of my heart for her review. I was so happy that at least she had the courtesy to show her appreciation by reviewing. I'm happy when people add this to their favorites or alert list, but I'd be more grateful for reader input.

Anyways, for those who haven't kept up with the Gundam 00 series, this story begins after episode four, Foreign Negotiations. In the previous episodes, the private organization Celestial Being introduced itself and its intentions to end war by armed interventions to the world. Their first intervention was during the unveiling of the Advanced European Union's (AEU) new mobile suit model, the AEU-09 Enact. During this intervention, the first Gundams, GN-001 Gundam Exia and the GN-002 Gundam Dynames were introduced. The second intervention was performed by GN-003 Gundam Kyrios and GN-004 Gundam Virtue, preventing a terrorist attack on the Human Reform League (HRL) orbital station. Once the two interventions were completed, a video made by the founder of Celestial Being, Aeolia Schenberg (who has been dead for 200 years) was broadcast to the world stating the intentions of Celestial Being. This was further exemplified when the Gundams made their third intervention in Sri Lanka by defeating both sides in a matter of minutes. The four Gundams were soon dispatched to different locations of the world to deal with individual missions. The introduction and actions of Celestial Being brought mixed feelings to the people of the world, but was rejected by the majority. Seeing the Gundams as a possible means of achieving independence, the country of Taribia declares war on the World Economic Union. Despite being the smaller and weaker army, the Gundams Exia, Dynames, and Kyrios attack the Taribian forces on the accusation that Taribia was a war supporting country. The world's view on Celestial Being is changed for the worse. That is where chapter 1 starts off.

The Gundam Meisters:

Setsuna F. Seiei: Pilot of the GN-001 Gundam Exia. The youngest of the Meisters at the age of 16. He is a citizen of the former Kurdish Republic (modern day Iran) and has spent a majority of his life on the battlefield. In his early youth, he was convinced that he was meant to fight in the name of God, and thus was tricked into murdering his parents. When he was 12, Setsuna had his first encounter with a Gundam (the prototype unit GN-000 O Gundam). Since that day, he has been a member of Celestial Being.

Lockon Stratos: Pilot of the GN-002 Gundam Dynamos. The oldest Meister at the age of 24, and the most social of the four. A native of Ireland, Lockon was orphaned by a terrorist bombing. For this reason, he despises terrorist and is angered when he or his companions are compared to terrorist. He is an expert marksman. Lockon acts as an older brother to Setsuna and is always seen with a yellow Haro by his side.

Allelujah Haptism: Pilot of the GN-003 Gundam Kyrios. He is 19 years old. An escapee from the HRL Super Soldier Special Duty Organization. Despite his gentle nature, Allelujah developed a split personality as a result of the Super Soldier project. He has a crueler, sadistic personality named Hallelujah Haptism.

Tieria Erde: Pilot of the GN-004 Gundam Virtue. His age is unknown. Tieria has little value for human life and is often criticizing his fellow Meisters. As far as Tieria is concerned, the fulfillment of missions and secrecy of Celestial Being are more important than his allies' lives. He is completely loyal to the advisory computer Veda. Little other information is known about Tieria or his history.

Now that you have some information on the background story, enjoy chapter 2 and please review.

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Chapter 2 

Setsuna

During the time it took to walk to Setsuna's apartment, the two teenagers remained absolutely silent. Hotaru tried to keep a calm façade, but in truth, she was scared to death. Her life was in the hands of a world renowned terrorist. However, she was able to find a sense of relief deep within herself as well as a sense of security radiating from the dark skinned boy. This was further exemplified when they were confronted by a group of thugs looking for some easy cash. "Hey there kiddies, we're a group of poor people in need of some money. So why don't you be good children and hand over any valuables ya got," ordered one of the punks in a daunting manor as he pulled out a knife.

Without hesitation, Setsuna pulled Hotaru behind him and glared at the robbers. "Get out of our way," he demanded in an emotionless voice. One of the thugs lost his temper and grabbed Setsuna by the collar. However, the attacker soon found himelf on the ground with Setsuna's foot pressed firmly on his throat. "Don't touch me." The others rushed in to help their fallen comrade, but they were easily defeated. The one gang member with his knife drawn charged, but came to a sudden halt when he found himself staring directly into the barrel of Setsuna's gun. "Now leave us or I won't hesitate to end your life," threatened the red eyed boy.

Hotaru watched in awe as the robbers ran away, and then she turned her attention to her captive who was returning his pistol to the interior pocket of his jacket. "How did you do that?"

Setsuna just glanced at her and remained silent for a few seconds before answering her question. "Ever since I was young, I've lived on the battlefield. Compared to fighting mobile suits, a few punks are no concern to me." He started walking and Hotaru was quick to follow him.

The rest of the trek gave Hotaru an opportunity to reflect on the troubling statement that Setsuna told her. What exactly did he mean by "life on the battlefield?" She had many more questions for him, but she figured that it would be best not to ask him in public. Once they arrived at Setsuna's apartment, Hotaru decided to try to get as much information about him as she could. "Setsuna, who are you and what did you mean by that statement earlier on?"

"That's classified information," Setsuna replied coldly, but he was unable to dissuade Hotaru. After he had enough of her pleading, he decided to give her a brief summary of his past, just enough to shut her up. "My real name is Soran. I'm from the area formerly known as the Kurdish Republic. For the majority of my life, I have fought on the front lines against the Kingdom of Azadistan. A few years ago, I was recruited by Celestial Being and became a Gundam Meister. That's all I can tell you."

Hotaru noticed his face twist in agony as Setsuna recalled his past. She felt guilty for causing him pain, but she had no idea how to comfort such an eccentric person. She decided to drop the topic even though his story only fueled her curiosity. "Do you mind if I use your shower," she asked, mainly to get his attention off of his troubling memories. Instead of a verbal answer, Setsuna just nodded his head.

"However," spoke Setsuna, making Hotaru stop in her tracks. "First, I need to inform my superiors about you, so I'll need you to stay here until everything is settled. He motioned with his fingers for Hotaru and she complied. With his other hand Setsuna dialed a few numbers on his communication device.

A holographic image of a woman with honey brown hair appeared, thus signaling the connection was made. Hotaru was surprised to see a person so pretty as a member of Celestial Being. However, she didn't look very happy at the moment. "This better be important Setsuna. I just finished my shift." Hotaru leaned in closer to the screen out of curiosity and unintentionally made her presence known. "Setsuna, you know you're not to communicate us when there are civilians around, even if it's your girlfriend," scolded the woman, unintentionally making Hotaru blush wildly. "Wait a moment," the brunette paused for a second then let a wicked smile grow on her face. "Setsuna, you dog! I didn't know you had skills to get a woman." The teasing made Hotaru turn a brighter shade of red and Setsuna growl out of annoyance.

"Christina, be quiet and put me through to Ms. Sumeragi." The tactical operator for Celestial Being giggled at the flustered teenagers. Despite her teasing, Christina fulfilled Setsuna's request and the image on the screen changed to a taller woman with a flask of liquor in her hand.

"What's wrong Setsuna," the woman asked with the concern that a mother would have for her child. Despite being a normal heterosexual girl, Hotaru could not help but stare in awe at the woman on the screen. It was a big shock that somebody that drop-dead gorgeous was the director of Celestial Being, or that particular ship at least.

"I'm sorry Ms. Sumeragi. During my landing, I was reckless and I was seen by a civilian." Hotaru took note of Ms. Sumeragi shaking her head in disappoint and began to fear for her life.

"That was indeed reckless of you Setsuna. As a Meister, you should be aware that secrecy is more important than your life and that a mistake like that is completely unacceptable. However, I want to hear the rest of your explanation before I decide a punishment."

"Yes Ma'am. I've taken the civilian into custody and I am waiting for your decision. She's standing by me right now." Setsuna voice was cold as usual, but Hotaru was able to recognize a slight hint of emotion. He was angry with himself and his pride had suffered some damage because of her. Even though the events of this night were completely unintentional, Hotaru could not help but feel guilty for making Setsuna feel this way. However, she knew this was definitely not the time for apologies and reconciliation. The next few seconds would determine the rest of her life, so she dared not do anything to disrupt them.

After a moment of shaking her head and taking a sip from her flask, Sumeragi Lee Noriega stared directly at the Exia's pilot with a stern expression. "You know that decisions like this are usually made by Veda. However, this time, I will make the decision. Our goal is to eliminate war so executing a civilian is out of the question. However, we can't just let her go free, so here are my orders. Setsuna F. Seiei, you are to take this girl with you and join with the other Meisters at the Pillar of Truth orbital elevator. Once there, you are to transfer custody of this girl to Allelujah Haptism where she will be brought to the Ptolemaios. Is that understood?" Once Setsuna confirmed his orders, Ms. Sumeragi turned her attention to Hotaru. "Don't worry. We're not going to harm you in any way, you have my word." The line was instantly severed, leaving the two teenagers alone.

"You can take your shower now. Once you're done, you should get some sleep. You'll need your energy for tomorrow. We'll be leaving at 400 hours sharp."

Hotaru nodded slightly and made her way to the bathroom. After taking about twenty minutes to let all her troubles get washed away by the shower water, she readied herself for bed. At first, she was concerned about where she'd sleep, but that answered when she stepped out of the bathroom. The one bed in Setsuna's apartment was unoccupied and she found him asleep in a corner of the room. Hotaru couldn't help but smile at his act of chivalry. Despite barely knowing him, she was able to see that underneath his cold shell, Setsuna was nothing more than a kind yet troubled little boy in desperate need of someone to love him. For reasons unknown to her, Hotaru quietly walked up to him and gave him a small peck on the forehead.

As she moved towards the bed, Hotaru heard whimpers coming from Setsuna. She noticed tears falling down his cheeks. "Mother, father, I'm sorry," he cried in his sleep. Hotaru's curiosity was perked, but she decided it'd be for the best if she got the information from an indirect source.

"Setsuna F. Seiei, you certainly are an interesting boy."


	3. The Meisters

Hello again. I'd like to thank my favorite fan, Harpygirl91 for her review as well as dedicate this story to her. Also, I need to correct a mistake made in the last chapter. In her instructions, Sumeragi Lee Noriega told Setsuna to take Hotaru to the Pillar of Truth global elevator. I made a mistake in the name. The elevator that Hotaru is supposed to go to is the Pillar of Heaven. Sorry about the mix up. Well, without further adieu, here's chapter 3. Enjoy and please review.

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Chapter 3 

The Meisters

Hotaru was disturbed from her peaceful sleep by Setsuna's hand roughly shaking her. She was a bit irritated, but let her pout express her current feelings. However, she didn't get her desired result from the Meister. "It's almost time to go. Hurry up and get dressed." He was already dressed in his usual attire, a white button up shirt, black pants, and a red scarf. Hotaru was yet to notice his quick temperament and slowly dragged herself out of bed. Because she was not moving quickly enough, she found herself being picked up and carried to the bathroom. "You've got five minutes to get dressed. No more, no less," warned Setsuna as he closed the door.

"Well good morning to you too, Mr. Morning person," Hotaru muttered under her breath as she removed her night garments.

"You know that I heard that," said Setsuna from the other side of the door. Hotaru blushed from embarrassment and started to understand why he was a Gundam Meister_. A more fitting title for him would be Mr. Super Hearing_she thought while putting on her blouse. "Are you done yet," asked Setsuna impatiently after she'd been in the bathroom for two minutes. Was he crazy or just socially stupid? She answered with irritation in her voice. Apparently, he lacked experience when it came to being with women. "Well hurry up."

"Ma'am, yes ma'am," responded Hotaru knowing that it would get to him. She smiled at her small victory over Setsuna. Her victory became even more satisfying when she got a look at Setsuna's frustrated face. "I'm ready now dear," she said flirtatiously and rapped her arm around Setsuna's. His dark skinn turned a bright shade of red which made Hotaru giggle. It may have been a cruel joke, but it was payback for rushing her to get dressed.

"Would you mind letting go, it makes me feel uncomfortable," he stammered. Setsuna was desperately trying to get rid of the redness in his face. This was the clincher for Hotaru and she knew that she'd completely dominated this little "battle" against him.

"Under one condition. We need to go by my dorm room and get some of my stuff. Is that alright?" Normally, Setsuna would have told her no on the spot, but there was a feeling towards Hotaru that he never experienced with anyone. After a few seconds of hesitation, he agreed and they left his apartment, Hotaru still latching on to his arm.

Tokyo University Dormitory:

Makoto Kino wiped the sleep from her eyes as she staggered to the door. "I'm comin', I'm comin'," she said loudly in order to stop her unknown visitor from ringing that damned door bell. When she finally opened the door, her temperament shortened and she silently glared at the two people standing in the hallway. "Hotaru… It's four o'clock in the fuckin' morning. Where the hell have you been, and who the hell is this? You should know better than to bring a boy in a girl's only dorm."

"Sorry about that Mako. Some things came up last night and messed up my schedule pretty badly. Let me introduce you to my mom's assistant, Kamal Majirif. My mom sent him to help me get my things together." Makoto, at the time, did not have the mental capacity to comprehend what was going on. She examined the dark skinned boy standing in her door frame. _Hotaru__ truly has a strange taste in men, even though he is __kinda__ cute._

"Nice to meet ya," said Makoto as she extended her hand out to Setsuna, who in return just stared at it and then back to the brunette.

"Sorry, Mako. Kamal isn't a very social person," explained Hotaru in a desperate attempt to prevent hostile feelings between the two. "So Kamal, let's get packing, right." Setsuna just stared at Hotaru then silently entered the room.

"So where are you two going," asked Makoto out of suspicion. Something was wrong about this situation, and for her roommate's sake, she'd find out, even if it meant beating it out of Kamal.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot to explain. My mom was offered a job to work on the Pillar of Heaven global elevator. She accepted and offered me the chance to come along and assist her. Since this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I'm not going to pass it up." Makoto found Hotaru's explanation to be a little shaky, but figured that it was not the best time to dig deeper. She decided to help Hotaru and Kamal get her stuff together.

Once they were finished packing, Makoto decided to give her roommate one last request. "Hotaru, take care and say hi to your mom for me." She grew a weak smile as she watched her best friend return the sentiments and walk out the door. Setsuna followed until she grabbed hold of his shoulder. "I don't know what's really going on, but I do know that Hotaru is a very special friend. So you better take good care of her or else." Her stern glaze made her point fairly clear for Setsuna.

The Meister made eye contact with Makoto and gave her a glaze of equal seriousness. "Understood," he said as he removed the brunette's hand from his shoulder. Those were Setsuna's final words before he left.

Port:

Hotaru stood at the edge of the harbor. She was following the instructions Setsuna gave her before diving into the bay. For the moment, her surroundings were comforting and serene until the motions of the waves became violent. Rising from the water like one of the monsters from a _Godzilla_ movie was Gundam Exia. The firefly stared in awe at the giant white machine staring down at her as if she were an insect. Exia's cockpit opened and its hand was extended towards Hotaru. She stepped into the mobile suit's hand and was elevated to the Setsuna's location. The dark haired girl found it difficult as well as uncomfortable to maneuver behind the pilot's seat. "Hold on tight. We're going," informed Setsuna prior to activating the gundam's propulsion system.

Pillar of Heaven, Nauru, HRL territory:

"There you are, you little rascal, and you're late again. Don't tell me you and your girlfriend were too tired from having sex last night that you'd be late for a rendezvous?" The joke from the mysterious brown haired man made Hotaru blush brighter than ever.

"Don't pick on the kids too much Lockon," scolded the person beside him.

"Calm down Allelujah, I'm just having a little fun with the kids," explained the older Meister prior to walking up to Hotaru. "Sorry if I embarrassed you, little lady. The name's Lockon Stratos. I'm the leader of this ragtag group. So who might you be?" Hotaru found the other Meisters to be nothing more than ordinary people. She also was surpised by Lockon's extremely sociable behavior.

"You, the leader? Don't let Tieria hear that or we'll never hear the end of it," teased Allelujah.

"Hey, hey, be polite. It's the little lady's time to speak," said Lockon to his fellow Meister, then he turned his attention back to Hotaru.

"Hello, my name is Hotaru Tomoe. Nice to meet you." She extended her hand, but received a friendlier greeting. Lockon pulled her into a hug and ruffled her hair.

"Good to have ya here Hotaru. I was worried if Setsuna would ever be able to get himself a girlfriend. Now that's settled, we just need to get him a more social attitude." Hotaru tried to protest, but her words fell on deaf ears. "It's almost time for you and Allelujah to get going. So you and Setsuna better get your goodbye kiss over with."

**Departure for the Pillar of Heaven spaceport will be in five minutes. All passengers please board the train now.**

"That's our ride," said Allelujah as he handed Hotaru her ticket. "Let's go," instructed the pilot of Gundam Kyrios.

Hotaru faced Setsuna for what may be her final time. "Well, goodbye Setsuna and thank you for everything. Please take care of yourself." Setsuna didn't reply. Instead, he did something completely unexpected and embraced Hotaru tightly. Once she recovered from the shock, Hotaru wrapped her arms around Setsuna and began to cry.

"I'll take care, but you have to do the same. I'll see you soon," Setsuna whispered before letting go of Hotaru. His final action was confronting Allelujah. "Take care of her, please."

"Don't worry, I intend to deliver her to the Ptolemaios without so much as a scratch. You just need to focus on your mission. Is that Understood Setsuna?" Allelujah Haptism and Setsuna F. Seiei exchanged looks and Allelujah went on his way with Hotaru following behind.


	4. Duty over Humanity

Hey. First I'd like to thank my loyal and favorite fan, Harpygirl91, and a new comer, Lady Light, for their reviews. For a side note, this is the longest chapter I've ever written for any story. Also I'd like to explain about the Krung Thep and its crew from the side story Gundam 00P which is set fifteen years before the anime. Enjoy and please review. Also, all this infomation I gave you can be found on Wikipedia.

The Gundam Meisters of the Krung Thep:

Luido Resonance: The pilot of GNY-001 Gundam Astraea. He is a skilled mechanic and may be the father of Feldt Grace, one of the tactical operators on the Ptolemaios.

Marlene Bloody: The partner of Luido Resonance. Her unit is a prototype Gundam (name unknown). She is a convicted criminal forced into the service of Celestial Being for her piloting skills. She does not agree to the ideals of Celestial Being, so she has a remote detonated bomb strapped to her neck in order to stay in line.

Chall Acustica: Also the pilot of a prototype Gundam. Despite only being 16,Chall is extremely intelligent and physically fit.Those are the two known factors for her being recruited by Veda. She later becomes the commander for the Fereshte in Gundam 00F.

Gundam Meister 874: The pilot for GNY-002 Gundam Sadalsuud. Her real name is unknown. As for her appearance, she looks younger than 10, but she is much older.

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Chapter 4 

Duty over Humanity, the Oath of Celestial Being

Pillar of Heaven Global Elevator, HRL:

Hotaru took her seat across from Allelujah in their compartment. She was a bit nervous being in a confined area with a stranger, but she'd experienced that feeling ever since she got involved with Setsuna. She figured that it would be best if she just remained quiet during the entire ride, but that idea was scrapped by a question from a stewardess. "Um, miss… is there anything you would like to drink?"

"Oh!... Um, yes, I would like a soda," Hotaru responded as she dug through her purse for some money. Then she remembered she was in HRL territory, so the currency used by the Union (A/N: I am not sure if the countries that joined the Union changed to a uniformed currency or if they kept their original form of money). The signs of embarrassment were made clear on her face as she dropped her wallet. "Never mind, I'm not thirsty." That was the most blatant lies she'd ever told, and the looks she was getting from Allelujah and the stewardess just made her feel more stupid.

Allelujah chuckled at her before pulling out his credit card (or something to that extent) and handing it to the stewardess. "Keep that soda, I'll cover for it," he instructed. Once the woman left, he gave his attention to his company and grinned at her the same way an older brother would at his little sister. "You don't have to be so uptight around me. It's not as if I'm going to pull out a gun and shoot you if you move or something like that. To be honest, it makes me a bit uncomfortable."

"Sorry, and thank you for the drink," Hotaru replied as she bowed her head in gratitude. The Meister sitting across from her just stared at her for a brief period, then shrugged his shoulders. "Geez, if you're not tense, you're formal, too formal. Don't you know how to relax? Kids these days," he complained, forgetting for the last comment that Hotaru heard every word (if this wasn't a Gundam story, with all its seriousness, this would be a "sweat-drop" moment). After that, there was a period of silence, but that was broken by the arrival of their beverages. "So, Hotaru," spoke Allelujah prior to taking a sip of his coffee, "please tell me how close are you to Setsuna?"

"I'm not sure. This is the first time somebody's ever asked me that." This was one of Hotaru's more discrete lies. In fact, her words were the exact opposite of the thoughts that had been circling around in her head for the past few days. However, she felt as if she wasn't ready to disclose that information to somebody who she barely knew. "Why are you concerned," she asked Allelujah before taking a sip of her own drink.

"I just find it interesting that there is someone who Setsuna would openly admit he cares for." The response from Kyrios' pilot was quite a shock to Hotaru. Even though she'd only known Setsuna for less than twenty-four hours, she was well aware of his tendency to barely express his feelings, despite being impulsive and quick tempered.

"Did he really say something about me?" The more Hotaru thought about it, the more unbelievable it became.

"Yes, he told me to protect you, and because it was the only favor that he's asked me since we began working with each other, I intend to comply with it." Once he finished his sentence, Allelujah was instantly made aware that Hotaru was now in her own little world. She was now doing the daydreaming about a guy in particular that her professor accused her for.

Outside of the Pillar of Heaven space port, HRL territory, 3 hours later:

"Are you ready, Lieutenant Peries?" A young woman with long white hair fastened her helmet and settled down comfortably in her cockpit. She quickly scanned over the controls before her to make sure there weren't any malfunctions or glitches.

"Yes sir, Colonel," responded 2nd Lieutenant Soma Peries as she activated the multiple systems on her new mobile suit.

"Then launch. I will follow behind you," instructed Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Smirnov of the HRL, or a person better known by his nickname, the "Wild Bear of Russia." He was an ace of the HRL and one of the few people to survive a battle against a gundam. His skills were second to none and his wisdom was equal to that of a sage. Now, he was overseeing a member of the next generation of pilots for the HRL, and hating every moment of it. The reason for his resentment was not Lieutenant Peries, but the inhumane means that were used to make her a soldier. She was one of the products from the HRL's Super Soldier Special Duty Organization, a division created to produce "super soldiers" from children by nanomachine-enhancements and exposing them to extreme combat simulations at early childhood.

"Lieutenant Peries in Tieren Taozi. I'm launching," Soma informed before pressing firmly on the acceleration pedal and activating her mobile suit's thrusters instead of waiting on the Lao Fu's catapult (the Lao Fu is the type of transport ship used by the HRL. It is first introduced in Episode 9).

Next to be loaded on to the catapult was Lt Colonel Smirnov in a standard MSJ-06II-E Tieren space model. "Young people these days, always rushing towards things," he mumbled in amusement. "This is Smirnov, I'm taking off." He never liked being launched from a catapult, and the lack of gravity in space only made that worse of a process.

"Colonel, are you alright, sir," asked Soma as she turned her custom Tieren to face him. The Wild Bear regained his composition once he brought his machine to a complete halt.

"I'm fine. How about you Lieutenant? Is the Taozi to your liking or are there any problems"

"Yes sir, for the most part everything is fine, but it's pink." A surprising and unprofessional announcement from someone like Soma Peries.

"And how is that a problem, Lieutenant?" Lt Colonel Smirnov already had a strong guess what the answer was, but he wanted to hear it from her, even if the only purpose was for a quick laugh. Who said it was illegal for a senior officer to have some innocent fun with their subordinates?"

"I hate pink," Peries answered dryly. For the life of her, she couldn't understand what she said to make her superior laugh so hard. "Did I say something wrong, Colonel?"

No lieutenant, you said nothing wrong," the older man consoled her as he got himself back on track. "Let's begin the test. First, demonstrate your skills with the rifle. Take out the targets without hitting anything else." He observed as Lt Pereis took out all the targets in a matter of seconds using her Teiren's _200x25mm Smoothbore Cannon_, hitting each one with a single shot in the dead center. Most soldiers would be dumbfounded to see that, but it was a standard requirement for an HRL super soldier. "Impressive, now let's see your maneuverability and your control of the thrust and breaks."

For an ace like Soma, a few quick movements and sharp turns were nothing. However, her troubles began when she got too close to the space station, particularly the loading station for the Global Elevator. The white haired soldier felt a wave of pain strike her head, enough to force her to scream bloody murder. She let go of the controls in order to grasp her head before going into a mad fit. "Get out, get out," she whimpered as if she was pleading for the pain to go away. Then, she snapped. "GET OUT," Soma screamed as she took aim at the station and opened fire.

"Stop this lieutenant," ordered Sergei as he moved in and took firm hold of Soma's rifle, but he was too late. The shots taken caused three of the station's gravity blocks (all three are connected) to break away and start slowly drifting down to Earth. "Lieutenant, what have you done?"

Pillar of Heaven, inside:

Hotaru felt the ground tremble violently under her feet, so she struggled to maintain her balance. Once the tremors stopped, she became aware of Allelujah who as on his knees in pain. "Who are you? What are you doing to me," the Meister spoke prior to screaming in agony. When the pain stopped, Allelujah forced himself to his feet and looked at Hotaru. "We're going now." His instructions didn't register in the horrified girl's mind until she heard him call her name again. She lifted her suitcase and followed Allelujah despite not having any idea where they were going. Yet, that wasn't even the "best part," which would come when they arrived at the loading deck for heavy machinery and parts for the station. The "best part" was when Allelujah inserted a security code into the terminal and revealed the car's real cargo, GN-003 Gundam Kyrios. "Get in," he ordered her while he found a dark corner to change into his flight suit.

In a matter of minutes, the orange gundam known as Kyrios erupted from the station's space port in its fighter mode. Once exposed to the vast freedom of space, Kryios wasted no time in heading for the drifting block which was futilely trying to be moved by a group of space Tierins lead by Colonel Smirnov. "It's no use sir, there are only 236 seconds before the block descends into the atmosphere. We have to withdraw."

Hotaru, who was listening to the conversation over Kyrios' radio, couldn't help but feel disappointment in the soldier. However, she couldn't deny that she was scared too and wondered if she'd do the same thing if she were in his place. She felt disgusted in herself because she couldn't do anything while over 800 innocent civilians burned to death in the atmosphere. As a sign of hope, Hotaru happened to overhear Colonel Smirnov's reply and her confidence was restored. "You fall back soldier. I can't abandon all of these people. I couldn't live with myself if I did." That one man was all the proof she needed to know heroes really do exist. There was a person who, despite all odds, was not willing to give up, even at the expense of his life.

"Allelujah," Hotaru said with thick traces of confidence and courage in her voice.

"I know," he replied as she pushed the throttle forward, forcing Kyrios to enter the atmosphere and provide relief for the courageous man in the Tierin. By moving the control stick half way, Allelujah managed to transform Kyrios half way so it would have use of its arms and thrusters.

As if there weren't enough things to worry the two passengers of Gundam Kyrios, another came in the form of a transmission by a person nobody, especially Hotaru, would expect to be associated with Celestial Being. The person whose image appeared on a small monitor was none other than the world famous pop idol, Wang Lui Mei. "Allelujah Haptism, you are ignoring orders to return to the Ptolemaios. Also, your actions are unauthorized. Disengage and return to the ship as ordered." Normally, Hotaru would be excited to see one of her favorite pop idols, but now she just wanted the singer to disappear. Her wish was granted when Allelujah turned off the moniter.

"You plan to disobey your orders," Hotaru asked him as a test to see if they were planning the same thing.

"Of coarse I do," he responded as he pushed the throttle to maximum output. Even in the midst of the danger and chaos, Hotaru managed to smile because she got the answer she wanted. He ordered Hotaru to turn on his radio and tune it to a frequency that was open to the main announcement system inside the blocks. "Attention everyone, if you want to live, then follow my directions completely. I want everyone to gather in the central block. Once everybody is accounted for, I want you to shut off all passages to the other blocks."

"Attention gundam pilot. Time has run out and you have already done enough. You need to retreat," said Colonel Smirnov over the radio (how he got a connection is a mystery to me).

"Sorry, I can't retreat because Celestial Being does not accept failure!" At a time when all hope seemed lost, a large beam was shot from Earth and severed the far left block from the others. Hotaru was astounded and looked to Allelujah for an answer. However, he just closed his eyes, to a deep breath, and softly said "Lockon," with a smile on his face. As far as logic was concerned, Hotaru's mind was screaming at her that it was impossible for this to be the work of Lockon Stratos. No matter how strong a weapon was, it was inconceivable for it to release enough power for a single shot to break through the atmosphere from Earth.

Earth:

"Boy, oh, boy Allelujah, you really did it this time," Lockon said to himself as he waited for his huge, long range sniper rifle to cool down and recharge. During the twenty seconds needed to recharge the rifle, Lockon used the time to take aim of his target, but a cloud was in his way. "Setsuna, that cloud's blocking my line of sight. Can you take care of it?"

As if he'd already planned on it, Setsuna flew the Exia towards the mass of water and particles and used Exia's GN sword to cut through it. "Hotaru, please be alright," he whispered as he moved Exia away from the line of fire.

"Here we go, Haro," said Lockon enthusiastically as he pulled the trigger. A beam of GN particles exploded from the rifle's barrel and sped towards the right block. As the shot made contact with its target, vaporizing the remaining links between the two remaining blocks. "Yes," shouted the pilot of Dynames as his little mechanical partner complimented his superior marksmanship.

Setsuna, on the other hand, could only wipe the sweat off his brow and breath a sigh of relief.

Space, HRL territory:

With the second block disconnected, Allelujah wasted no time in pushing the final block out of the pull of Earth's gravity and left the area as quickly as possible. "Hey, Allelujah, I was wondering what motivated you to help stop that thing? You know, besides the humanitarian thing."

"Have you ever been left alone to float in space? I'll tell you it is one of the most frightening experiences you'll ever have," he answered as Kyrios docked in the Ptolemaios.

When they entered the mother ship of Celestial Being, their greeting was the complete opposite of what Hotaru expected. Instead of being congratulated, Allelujah was confronted by the fourth Gundam Meister, Tieria Erde, handcuffed, and brought to the planning room where Sumeragi Lee Noriega was waiting for them. "Allelujah Haptism, because of your rash actions, we were forced to ignore a mission from Veda as well as reveal Dynames' long rang abilities. For your actions, you are to be confined to the brig for one week. Now go."

Hotaru stood in horror and disbelief as she watched Allelujah being taken away to his prison. Angered by this, she approached Sumeragi and grabbed her by the shoulders. "How could you be so cruel? Because of him, hundreds of lives were saved! He should be praised, not punished!" As a result of her outburst, Hotaru received a hard slap across the face.

"Get serious! We are Celestial Being, a group dedicated to ending war. We are not a humanitarian or a rescue organization. It is not our responsibility to save people every time the HRL or any other nation screws up!" At first, the tactical forecaster was furious with Hotaru, but after revealing a large amount of stress, her attitude changed and she apologized. "Now for matters involving you, Miss Hotaru, you have two choices. You could be released but still have that bomb strapped to your leg for security measures, or you can help change the world and join Celestial Being. I know this is a hard decision, so I will give you time to think it over," said Sumeragi as she headed for the door.

"I… I want to join Celestial Being," Hotaru stated boldly, making Sumeragi instantly turn around. "I want to bring peace to this world, but through other means. However, that's not my main, I mean only, reason. What I want more than anything at this moment is to stay by Setsuna. Is that acceptable?"

Sumeragi Lee Noriega broke into a laughing fit then approached Hotaru. With a friendly pat on the head, she confirmed Hotaru as a fellow crewman of the Ptolemaios. "If I were one to follow regulations all the time, then I wouldn't find your reasons acceptable. However, since I'm a nice person, more-or-less, I'll approve it. I'd figured that you'd be at the age where you would have interest in boys, but Setsuna is one of the most challenging guys to get. You really have grown ever since the last time I saw you."

The gears in Hotaru's mind started working and she remembered that she had met Sumeragi Lee Noriega before. "I remember you! You were one of my dad's Advanced Physics students and my babysitter."

"Glad you remembered me. Now follow me and I'll direct you to your quarters." The brunette woman floated to the door, but paused before she opened it. "Just to clear you up on something, I am proud of Allelujah for what he did, but my position won't allow me to announce it openly."

Earth, AEU territory, Madrid, Spain:

In an abandoned alley way, two men met and shook hands. "I'm sorry for having to call you all the way out here, Dr. Souichi Tomoe, but I need to be sure that Veda would not know about it."

"It's alright," replied Dr. Tomoe as he lit a cigarette. "To be honest, I'm glad you called me. I've wanted revenge against Celestial Being ever since they betrayed me."

"That's right, you were one of the early members of Celestial Being," said Souichi's mysterious guest.

"Yes, I was a crewman on the Krung Thep and I was the mechanic for the first four Gundams. I've dedicated my life to the ideals of Aeolia Schenberg and even went so far as to alter my children so they could interact with Veda. Yet, the world has still not changed, thus making all of my sacrifices futile." Souichi dropped the cigarette butt and crushed it under his heal. Then he pulled out a disk and handed it to his client. "Here is the data for GN-005 Gundam Nadleeh. This will allow you to hack into its system and do whatever you want with it. However, make sure to cover your tracks or my son will definitely find you and kill you."

"Thank you Professor Tomoe, but I am not going to get your revenge for you. That is not a part of my plan." Souichi was enraged and attempted to grab the man by the neck and strangle him to death. However, the last thing he was able to do was tremble in fear as he felt a cold metallic object pressed against the back of his head. Without any sound, a bullet ripped through the back of Souichi Tomoe's head, killing him instantly.

The killer looked down at his victim's body and put on a fake smile. "That, Dr. Tomoe, is my thanks for making me what I am today."


	5. Seven Swords to Protect

Sorry it took me so long to update, I got distracted with other stories. Special thanks to Harpygirl91 and Inevitable for their reviews of the preview chapter for the sequel, even though I am now where ready to write it. Anyway, this chapter did not come out as good as I wanted it to be, mainly because I wanted to get it done today and I have a report due for my class tomorrow, so sorry. I promise the next one will be better. So if you find any problems, please let me know. Thanks and enjoy.

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Chapter 5

Seven Swords to Protect

Ptolemaios:

In the past few days, Hotaru became adjusted to her new life. She had been accepted by Veda, given a position as a junior Tactical Operator thanks to her abilities, and she started to feel as if the crew had become her new family. Sumeragi played the role of an older sister/ motherly-figure, both at times of being sober and being dead drunk. Christina also acted as an older sister and was constantly urging Hotaru to confess her feelings to Setsuna or at least ask him out (if it has yet to become painstakingly obvious, Setsuna has the social skills of a door knob in the corner of an old abandoned shack, so making the first move towards a relationship is probably something that will never happen). Her relationship with Feldt Grace was a silent friendship because all they needed to do was look in each other's eyes to transfer a message. She had not yet gotten to know the helmsman, Lichtendahl Tsery, who Christina warned her about or the ship's gunner, Lasse Aion, who was just antisocial. Over all, Hotaru was on good terms with everybody on the ship except for the last Gundam Meister, Tieria Erde. She found him to be a harsh critic of everybody, and he thought she was just dead wait. However, she was made aware by Christina that whenever she and Tieria made eye contact, both of their eyes would glow a gold-yellow color with specs of others colors blinking away. The purple haired boy became even more distasteful of Hotaru when it was discovered that she could directly connect to Veda, thus he considered her a liability. "You have no right being in this organization if you aren't dedicated to the cause," he said while giving her a frightening glare.

"The cause I'm dedicated to is Setsuna, so if he's committed to ending war, then so am I," Hotaru spat back as she returned the glare with one that was as threatening as her character allowed her to be. "I don't believe this is the only way to end war, so I'll be looking for alternatives so there won't be any more deaths or sadness like Setsuna had to go through." She attempted to move past Tieria, but he grabbed her by the arm and jerked her back.

"So what will you do when he's dead," Tieria asked, still glaring at the black haired girl.

Hotaru responded to his question by slapping him hard across the face. "Never say that again," she shouted, alerting everyone who was able to hear her. Both Lichty and Christina came to her aid, but arrived just to see her floating away in tears while Tieria was holding his cheek.

"I guess I'll go talk with Hotaru," said Christina, leaving Lichty with the oh-so-unfriendly Tieria. Eventually, the older tactical operator caught up with Hotaru, her eyes were swollen from tears. "Hey, don't mind whatever Tieria said. Heck, he probably does even understand that people have feelings, so the best thing to do is just ignore him," advised Christina as she handed Hotaru a cloth to wipe her eyes.

"I'm just scared that he's right and that Setsuna might die before I can tell him how I feel," Hotaru managed to say in between sobs.

"Well then, that's easy to take care of," replied Christina. Hotaru wiped the tears from her eyes just in time to catch the end of Christina's wink. "Just tell him how you feel next time you see him."

Hotaru didn't know how to respond. The solution was so simple, but she was afraid that Setsuna didn't feel the same way about her. "But… I… I…," she was trying as hard as she could to get the words out of her mouth, but she ended up forgetting what she wanted to say when Chris grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her into a side room.

"Don't worry, Setsuna won't die anytime soon, especially when you see what Exia went through," said the brunette as she typed away on a small computer. "Ladies, gentlemen, and special guest Hotaru, it gives me great pleasure to introduce Exia of Seven Swords!" On the monitor in front of her, Hotaru read carefully the specifications of the two new weapons added to Gundam Exia's arsenal. One was a long sword lined with GN particles and the other was a short sword that had the same characteristics. "This along with Exia's two beam sabers, two beam daggers, and GN sword give it a total of seven blades." She closed the files on the computer and glanced over at Hotaru. "That make ya feel any better," she asked, smiling at the younger girl.

"A little," Hotaru answered with a feint smile. Apparently, it was not enough to satisfy Christina, who expressed her disappointment in the form of a stern look.

"That does it! You are telling Setsuna next time you see him whether you like it or not! Plus we are doing something about that wardrobe," Christina said in a calmer tone as she carefully examined Hotaru's outfit. As far as the senior tactical operator of the Ptolemaios was concerned, a black tank top and a pair of jeans with a hole in the knee were not fitting for such an "important event."

"That sounds fine, but when will we have a chance to go shopping," asked Hotaru, smiling because she had no idea how she should have reacted to Christina. The brunette seemed to be just like her old friend Minako, just smarter and less of a party girl. As for her question, the answer came in the form of a transmission from Sumeragi telling her and Christina to get ready to go down to Earth for Celestial Beings' seventh (known, there may have been others between the episodes, and I'm not quite sure if Allelujah's actions with at the orbital station would be considered an armed intervention) armed intervention.

In a period of seven hours, Hotaru found herself back on the linear train heading down to Earth. She, along with Sumeragi Lee Noriega, Feldt Grace, and Christina Sierra had a private room so they could talk without letting anything classified escape into the public's ears. Fortunately, none of the discussion was about anything having to deal with Celestial Being and consisted mostly of chatter between Sumeragi and Christina. Feldt was busy doing whatever she does on her little hand-held computer, so Hotaru could either join the conversation or stare out into space, literally and figuratively, she chose the alternative. For about two hours, she stared out the window with her mind being somewhere else, but sadly her daydream had to come to an end when they reached their destination. "Come on lover girl, get your bags and let's get to the hotel," said Sumeragi as she gave Hotaru a hard slap on the back.

"Yes ma'am," Hotaru replied, rubbing her injured back all the while trying to readjust to gravity. It was a bit overwhelming for the teenage girl, and it didn't help that Christina dragged both her and Feldt to go shopping after they finished unpacking.

Unknown Island off in the Pacific Ocean:

Setsuna currently occupied himself by installing the two new GN swords on Exia. While Lockon, possibly Allelujah, would have allowed Celestial Beings' main technician Ian Vashti to program the new weapons, Setsuna was different. He didn't want anyone near his Gundam without his permission and would usually do things himself or let the group of Haros that Lockon had do the maintenance for him. After all, he valued Exia more than he valued his life, because with it, he could change the world for the better. With Exia he could protect all of the people he cared for, mostly Hotaru. All things considered, GN-001 Gundam Exia was Setsuna's god, and with its divine powers, he would clean the world of any traces of war for Hotaru and everyone else.

It wasn't long till the next operation would start and he and Lockon would join the other Gundam Meisters and challenge the combined forces of Moralia's PMC Trust (a collection of mercenaries that serve as Moralia's military) and the AEU. Once they were joined by Kyrios and Virtue, Gundams Exia and Dynamos launched from their carriers, beginning their trek to the other side of the world. "Does everybody understand the mission plan," asked Sumeragi over the monitor as soon as the four Gundams passed over the western boarder of Germany.

"Yes, Ms. Sumeragi," answered Allelujah.

"Affirmative," said Tieria.

"Yep'," responded Lockon in his normal, relaxed tone.

"Roger," Setsuna was the last one to answer. Before he cut the communication line with the Sumeragi and the others, he noticed a small patch of black hair that happened to get caught on the camera. "Ms. Sumeragi, is Hotaru with you," he asked, praying that he was just seeing things.

"Yep, I'm here," answered Hotaru as she moved in front of the camera. "I'll be assisting in monitoring the operation," she said hoping that Setsuna would be happy, which he wasn't.

Celestial Beings' temporary command center, Home of Wang-Lui Mei:

"Oh… Then keep me informed if there are any changes in the plan," Setsuna instructed blandly before closing the circuit. His reaction to the news was not what Hotaru wanted, but the disappointed look he gave her bothered the poor girl.

"Setsuna, what did I do wrong," Hotaru asked herself as she began typing away on the keyboard in front of her. She shook her head furiously trying to get her mind back on the task at hand. Now wasn't the time to feel sorry for herself. Now she had a responsibility and people's lives depended on her doing the best she could.

"Let the operation begin," shouted Sumeragi into her head piece.


End file.
